In a simmering build-up to the upcoming England series, the International Cricket Council president and former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas has stressed discipline and fitness, cautioning the team against the likely adverse conditions in England. Zaheer Abbas backing a decision by the Pakistan Cricket Board to encamp in England before series starts said on Saturday it would be helpful for players, and "If the players are fit, they will perform in all departments of the game," he said.
Yet, the council boss chief's gradient in his caution was "discipline" that "must be given a top priority for the success of the game". On Saturday, he also met the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to exchange views over the promotion of the game with the latter claiming his government would develop grounds in every district in the province.
"In the first phase, the construction work has started in eight grounds in different districts," the chief minister added. His counterpart said he hoped the Punjab government's efforts would help groom new talent too. It is understood that the talks were also linked to the council boss inking a memorandum of understanding with the Punjab government to establish cricket academies in all major cities of the province. In the first phase, the academies, to be established in Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Sialkot.